Still Waters
by drinktea
Summary: [One shot] [Neji centric] Whoever said love is a many splendored thing was an absolute, raving lunatic.


_Disclaimer: Neji and Tenten and Mystery Girl all belong to not me._

Sakura-Angel: Ahhhh. I'm not sure how well I've done with this. Because of this uncertainty, I would love feedback, really and truly. I've never written Neji before, or Tenten actually (I'm sorry if I've messed her personality up beyond recognition). I just think Neji's character is so eeenteresting. I couldn't stay away.  
I am also not sure who I want Mystery Girl to be, so you can fill in that blank. I was leaning strongly towards Sakura, but I decided that it was best to leave it up to the imagination. Read on, and enjoy (hopefully)!

**Still Waters**

Still waters run deep.

That's what most people say when you ask about Hyuga Neji, anyway.

Holder of the legendary Byakugan of the noble Hyuga clan, a virtual genius with the ability to surpass most, if not all Jounin, best candidate for the next coveted spot on the elite ANBU squad. A _good_, respectable, sensible, _honourable_ ninja, who despite all praise received, was as humble as his family taught him. A good, humble, _silent_ ninja with a sterling reputation to match. 

Besides this all, he worked hard. He did not rely on natural talent to see him through (though he had springs of it). He found always, _always_ something new. Something else to improve and hone to perfection. He gave the impression of being busy, yet he moved slow. His time was his alone, and without meaning to, he told the world this.

A lot say that that is the reason for the virtual hordes of women (and some men) who had their sights set on him. We always want what we can't have, after all.

Of course, no one bother to actually ask _him_ his opinion on the matter. 

Which was just as well, because he'd have to tell the truth (lying never sat with him well) and he'd rather face the nine-tailed kyuubi in the flesh than admit what _that_ was.

Yes, as much as you'd like to believe it untrue, Hyuga Neji was entirely _un_deep in his feelings of erm, admiration? No, that was too stuffy. It couldn't be _love_, but it felt like a little more than like. Anyways. The truth.

The truth was that for the most part, it was annoying. Having a great variety of admirers (they ranged from the shamelessly flirty to the so shy they'd practically faint upon seeing him) was not all it was cracked up to be. Toss in semi-regular confessions of undying devotion and wiseass comments from _supposed_ teammates, and you've got one rankled Hyuga, ready to just burst from beneath his cool exterior and strangle some small forest creature (and _enjoy_ it). He never did this of course, it goes without saying, because he _was_ Hyuga Neji, and Neji was sensible and still and unconcerned with any notion of a love life.

_Of course._

That's not really why though. The reason, the _real_ reason is that he sometimes enjoyed it. Especially - _this_ is the embarassing part - when the attention comes from a certain someone.

Yeahyeahyeah, Hyuga Neji likes someone, Hyuga Neji has a heart, throw up a hallelujah and call the news crew why don't you? What did you think? That he was carved out of stone? (And don't you dare say yes, or he'd _tap_ and you'd be as good as dead.)

It's complete torture. How do people _stand_ lo-- _liking_ someone? The sight of them freezes you, your ears catch their voice everywhere, and a smile sends your heart humming.

You're supposed to be _in control_ of yourself. Focused one hundred percent on a goal, no mind wandering allowed. It was practically a ninja law, and he broke it everytime he saw or heard of even _thought_ of her.

Which was not often. Right. (Because he _was_ Hyuga Neji, after all.) 

Anyhow, if it couldn't get any worse with the fake stony faces and barely disguised stutters (that's how bad it had gotten! He actually _stuttered_), he wasn't even sure she liked him _that way_. Sure, she looked over and said hi, but maybe it was only because her friends were falling over themselves to speak to him. 

Did she like him? Did she not?

"Hi Neji." 

Was it her? Everytime he heard a female voice, he made it hers. It was probably Tenten.

"Say 'hi' back..." 

Except... _that_ was Tenten.

"Hi," he said curtly, though to who he wasn't sure. He fought the urge to spin on his teammate and maybe sprain something lame of hers (like a wrist) for surprising him and very possibly making him look like a fool. In front of _her_.

He looked up and saw _her_ there. He froze.

"Neji, could you come over here for a sec?" Tenten's _oh-so_-grating voice, accompanied by a tug at his sleeve, pulled him away.

He _un_froze just in time to look in control of himself and went off, compliant, with maybe the only female not lovesick over him. Well, her and...

"You know, I can't believe I didn't see it before," she was saying. "I should just be... kicking myself right now."

"That can be arranged," he replied detachedly. He hated it when she acted superior and mysterious with him. It didn't help that he felt the conflicting urge to distance himself from _her_ and stare at _her_ at the same time.

"No, Neji. I'm serious." 

He looked at Tenten. She was.

"What, may I ask, are you talking about?" he asked mildly.

"I'm talking about you being completely in _love_ with _her_," she said, blinking far too much at the figure Neji knew was standing behind him.

He was caught by total surprise, berating himself for first letting it be so easily seen, and second for not acting as a ninja should. He said nothing, and stared ahead.

"Neji, this is the saddest thing I've ever seen in my life," she told him. "What are you so afraid of?"

With those two sentences, his resolve nearly disappeared. Nearly. "Nnngh." 

"You think she doesn't like you, don't you," she said it not as a question but as a fact, and he could've cried at how transparent he was. (But he didn't of course, because he _was the_ Huyuga Neji.)

"Nnnngh," he insisted.

"Neji, go talk to her." Tenten was firm and intense. She was hardly blinking at all. "Stop being a ninny, and go up to the girl you're head over feet for, and _buy her some ramen._"

His confidante's (he was the slightest bit dismayed to realize) increasingly silly suggestions struck a strange chord in him. He felt compelled to reply. (Plus, Hyuga Neji _a ninny_? He'd have to rearrange her brain later.)

"She doesn't like me though," he said, and let the smallest trickle of insecurity seep in. He didn't do insecurity well. Remember, he _was_ Hyuga Neji...

Tenten placed a defiant hand on her hip. "And what makes you think that?"

He flicked the tiniest of glances over his shoulder. ugh, he felt so egocentric that he even though this at all...

He sighed. "She's not glaring at you."

Tenten blinked, flabbergasted. "What?" God, he was hard to understand...

He closed his eyes, resisting the urge to rub his temples. _Why_ had he not waved her off already? He tried his best to not sound frustrated. "Everytime any girl sees you talk to me, she looks like she's trying to get kunai to shoot out of her eyes." Ugh. He didn't even _sound_ like himself anymore.

His teammate smiled unexpectedly. "Well, she must not be just _any girl_ then, huh? She'd have to be pretty sepcial to get _your_ attenion." She looked over his shoulder (difficult, he was tall) as he tried to decipher her words for some hidden mocking.

"Talk to her!" were her parting words, and then she was gone.

He cast a withering glare at an innocent bush. He swore, he'd find that girl later and give her a piece of his mind. And maybe a cheap kick in the shin, girl or no.

"Um... Neji? Are you okay?" came a tentative voice.

_Oh_. He hadn't even seen or heard her come...

"I'm fine," he replied, less sturdy than he would've liked. His eyes finally focused right to look at her, unnarrowing themselves from the momentary glarefest with the bush. "Why do you ask?"

"You just looked... pained. You were glaring." She looked almost regretful, ashamed for noticing his feelings.

Ugh, he was making her uncomfortable wasn't he? And if _she_ wasn't feeling ready to leap up and run out of Konoha, _he_ certainly was.

"That was... nothing," he said non-commitally, still staring at her very nice shoulder.

_You're so **boring**!_ He can hear Tenten yelling at him, and he feels compelled to act for all three of their sakes.

"Would you care for some tea?" he asked, putting himself in danger like he never had before. He leaned the slightest bit forward to bow politely (and maybe catch some of her scent as a keepsake, because this may be the last time he could ever not be mortified enough to talk to her). He closed his legendary eyes and braced himself.

"I'd love some," she said, and if his eyes weren't closed he'd have seen the smile bloom on her face.

It didn't matter though, because _she_ said _yes_. She said yes. He felt his heart hum a million times fast over the calm background of his mind.

"Alright," he said in reply, unable to stop some of his relief from leaking into his tone. He smiled at her. It _felt_ like a smile.

Still waters run deep?

You could say that.


End file.
